Can You Die From a Broken Heart? - when calls the heart
by Jazabeth
Summary: My first go at a fan fiction, just a little chapter set after season 4 ended. Elizabeth hasn't heard from jack, in what feels like, ages, but when she does get news from Up North it is the opposite of what she wanted...


**When Calls the Heart - Can You Die From a Broken Heart**

The day started like any other day for the past five months. Elizabeth checked the store for letters from Jack and left disheartened when there were none. The stage had been delayed due to bad weather and nothing had arrived for the past 4 days. She perked herself up reveling in the beauty of the day and walked to Abigail's to have a cup of coffee and a chat.

As she got closer she could hear that the cafe was bubbling with chatter. _"a busy morning for Abigail"_ she thought to herself. But the chatter ceased immediately upon her entering the cafe, she began to feel uneasy as she looked around all the faces turned towards her. Each friendly face now filled with sorrow and pity. Noticing a newspaper was the common item on each table she walked towards the counter where a duplicate newspaper lay, fighting the sick feeling in her stomach she picked up the paper. Before reading the headline she knew what it would be about. She skimmed the article, vision blurring quickly as words jumped out at her.

"Troop of Mounties set upon... Leader of division shot... rescue search too risky... families told to prepare for the worst."

"Elizabeth" she felt Abigail slid a comforting arm around her waste and lead her through the curtain to the back of the cafe. Abigail sat on the couch with her, still holding her hand for comfort "They haven't confirmed any names of the ones that died, or even how many died"

Struggling to breath properly Elizabeth waved the page of paper she still had clutched in her hand. "This is dated 6 days ago! has there been any more news? I know one of the names mentioned, one of the reporting survivors, Jack mentioned him in a letter a few months back. He was in Jacks division! _This_ is Jack's division Abigail!" She broke down into sobs, clinging to Abigail when she was taken into a hug.

"I know you're worried dear but we must have faith. Jack is a good Mountie, he knows how to take care of himself. Trust in God, Jack will come back."

Despite the fact that her heart felt as if it was in an every tightening iron clutch, Elizabeth knew she had a job to do and continued with her teaching that day. She found that it helped to take her mind of the pain if she could immerse herself in her teaching the children. But, the teaching day had to come to an end and when it did the pain multiplied tenfold. The walk back to her row house, was often interrupted by the people of Hope Valley sending her a sorrowful smile or wave, a child running up and asking if she was okay and Rosemary rushing up in a blustering cloud of dust to "support Elizabeth through this trying time". Elizabeth could only feel relief when Lee came up to offer support and to steer Rosemary away from Elizabeth with an apologetic smile at her. Without even realising where her feet had directed her, Elizabeth found herself standing on Jack's land, the land where he wanted to build a house and home... for her! She dropped to her knees, her heart breaking. How could she have faith when she knew how dangerous Jack's fight was, that was HIS division and he was such a good man he would never let his men die without doing as much as he possibly could, he would have put himself in danger to save his men. He was a hero, _her_ hero.

The following day brought no news about the northern fight, and Elizabeth continued to teach with a smile for the children, keeping her worry for herself. Never wanting to let them know how heartbroken and sad she was but never being able to shake those emotions. When the school day ended and she was showered with hugs from the children and Opal offered to give her Brownie for the night she felt a tear slip down her cheek - this children cared so much for her and Constable Jack they too would suffer should it turn out for the worse and Jack never returns.

Sleep evaded her again that night and she took to reading the few short letters from Jack over and over again, staring at the picture of them until her eyes ached almost as much as her heart. She needed news and fast, she couldn't continue with this not knowing. It had been at least a week since the incident, there should be news soon.

She didn't know whether to be thankful or not when the day dawned, her body ached, her eyes were red and rimmed with dark circles but at least she wouldn't have to sit alone dwelling on "what if"s. And so cleaning herself up she began her morning pushing herself to walk through town again and to be met with those pitying looks from the the store when no further news was to be had on Jack.

"Good morning children, lets open our maths books!" She tried to put energy she didn't feel into her voice and began her day teaching. She had to sit with some of the children as they were struggling with some of the concepts, a new chapter of maths always seemed to throw them. But she took it in her stride and lovingly instructed them on ways to get past the difficulties.

With recess over she instructed the children to take out their readers.

"Now today, we are going to be studying poetry again, see the rhyming words and the stories behind the poems. See poems must come from the heart, they tell the story from within. But not all poems must be about someone's love for someone else. Some poems are about the sky and the birds and the trees - the beauty that God has given us!" A hand flew up with a question, "Yes Emily?"

"Miss Thatcher, mum read a poem once about someone dying from a broken heart, can your heart actually break and kill you?"

"Well you see" her heart ached, she forgot she was in a classroom and began to simply describe how she felt out loud.

"When two people love each other, truly love each other, if one of them dies the loss can hurt so much that it can feel like their heart is breaking. Because when you really love someone they hold part of your heart and you hold part of theirs, your love is so strong that if you lose the person you love, because you hold part of their heart it can feel like part of your heart is dying and the ache is so painful you think your heart is breaking, not just in half but into a million pieces. When that happens you don't know what to do, you feel alone even when you're surrounded by people, you can't sleep but youre so tired, and food is only for survival and not joy anymore." There was a heavy silence in the room.

It was shattered by a deep familiar voice breaking the silence, thick with emotion.

"But, the upside of thinking you've lost someone is the unspeakable joy you feel when you realise you haven't lost them. You realise that your heart is not only in tact but overflowing with love."

"JACK!" Elizabeth looked up, not believing her eyes and ears. The love of her life stood at the doorway, hat under arm, his red coat bright in the sunlight. She didn't even think about all the pairs of eyes watching her as she ran down the schoolroom and threw herself into his ready arms. He clung tightly to her caressing her wet cheek with his hand and forcing her to look up at him so he could press a deep kiss to her lips. When the kiss finished he couldn't tear his eyes from her face,

"Oh my poor Elizabeth, what have I put you through. Forgive me my love."

She sobbed into his chest "I saw the paper. I thought... I thought..." she didn't finish, _couldn't_ finish saying it. They stood like that for a few minutes, wrapped in each others arms, confirming that they weren't in a dream.

Jack was the first to realise that there was a whole classroom still watching them with curiosity. He looked at them over Elizabeth's head and smiled, jerking his head towards the door in a silent request for them all to leave. They nodded with bright smiles and crept out around the couple. Elizabeth realised they were leaving and looked up shocked and remorseful that she'd forgotten about them.

"Oh children!" she didn't finish before they all chimed a goodbye to her and Constable Jack.

"See you tomorrow miss Thatcher!" they all ran off giggling with happy smiles.

She smiled at Jack, her spirits returning, "there was still an hour of school left."

He pulled her closer, and kissed her forehead, "for once i do not care about those children, and i know nor do you. I have more important things on my mind." He slid his hand down her arm and held her hand looking at the engagement ring on her finger.

"My fiance and i have much to talk about." He kissed the ring on her finger his eyes meeting hers as he did so. Her eyes never left his face, she couldn't bare the idea of losing sight of him for even the smallest of seconds. A mischievous small curved her lips.

"And much to _do_ dear fiance _."_

 _"_ Why Miss thatcher I do believe you've become cheekier these past months!" Despite his words he did kiss her, so long and passionate it left her head reeling. "And now that i've done that" he said "take a walk with me Ezliabeth?"

At Jack's property they sat side by side, his arm around her shoulders and her hand resting on his chest as she lay her head on his shoulder.

"I read every letter i got from you here. Well i read it here as soon as i received it, and then i reread it every other spot throughout the following days. But this was the best place to read them because i knew you had a future here to come back. You had this place you weren't finished with."

"I had more than this place to come back to Elizabeth, never forget that."

She buried herself deeper into his side, wrapping her arm across his chest smiling contentedly.

"I love you constable Jack, even if you do put my heart through loops."

"And i will always love you Miss Elizabeth Thatcher." He whispered, kissing her passionately, filling her with all the hope she had lost these past months and especially days.

The end.


End file.
